Manatees in Xochimilco

Long ago manatees lived in clean Chiapas rivers, far from the Xochimilco….

At the beginning of the 20th century a water lily infection that had been spreading through the canals since the end of the 19th century, there was no longer way to get rid of it.

The authorities noticed the ecology damage and thought about a solution.

So, they arranged theirselves with Chiapas authorities to bring some manatees to help clean the water.

Everything seem fine, until Xochimilco’s locals saw enormous circular black shadows moving through the channels. The authorities hadn’t told them the manatees were staying there to clean the water.

So the rumors about marine monsters in the canals spread quickly.

They started to hunt the mammals without knowing they were actually helping them cleaning what they couldn’t.

Unfortunately, the experiment was a total failure, no problems were solved.

Due to the difficulty of the manatees’ digesting the tough water lily, they ate other plants and the plague got worse.

Then, the manatees didn’t survived because of the locals believes and actions (hunting them).

This was a clear example of misunderstanding and lack of communication.

References:

Garrido, D. (2023, mayo 24). ¿Había manatíes en el lago de Xochimilco? Architectural Digest. https://www.admagazine.com/articulos/esta-es-lahistoria-de-los-manaties-que-vivian-en-xochimilco

Quintana, M. (2022, diciembre 18). La historia de los manatíes que vivían en Xochimilco. Chilango. https://www.chilango.com/agenda/otros/lahistoria-de-los-manaties-que-vivian-en-xochimilco/

López, O. (2024, agosto 17). La triste historia de los manatíes que terminaron cocinados por los pescadores de Xochimilco. Infobae México. https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2024/08/17/latriste-historia-de-los-manaties-que-terminaroncocinados-por-los-pescadores-de-xochimilco/